Earthquakes, tidal waves, floods, and volcanos. It’s not a matter of if but when disaster will strike. New resources are coming available to make sure all isn't lost when a community is turned upside down. Emergency managers, first responders, staff, and volunteers need to work together in a coordinated effort to save our libraries, museums, and archives during natural disasters.
Alaska State Museum Curator of Statewide Services Anjuli Grantham is organizing the Preparing Alaska’s Cultural Organizations For Emergencies project.
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| Anjuli Grantham/ASM |
Anjuli Grantham says, “If you don’t have a plan in place disaster strikes and suddenly you have your family photos are even valuable artifacts in a museum that are just disheveled. If you don’t have a plan in place, that is when panic sets in.”
The Project is looking to build awareness, best practices, and skillsets in people working in cultural institutions across Alaska - so when the worst does happen, people are prepared to administer the best possible result.
Paper and photographs can become the victim of water damage not just from floods and broken pipes. The loss of more than 20-million artifacts at Brazil’s National Museum and the high profile fire at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame highlight the damage that can be caused not just the fire itself - but firefighting activities and smoke.
Still, preservationists have some trick up their sleeves for saving what appears to be unsalvageable.
Anjuli Grantham says, “Don’t just immediately start throwing things away. Because it may look as if your family photos are a big pile of mud, however, there are people who are skilled in repairing these things." Grantham suggests freezing water soaked photos and paper to stop further damage, then locating a specialist to freeze-dry the treasures to safely remove the water.
The first training is scheduled this fall for Juneau, with classes in Anchorage and Fairbanks following.
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